


The Storyline

by Cezet



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-09-07
Packaged: 2018-07-16 02:21:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7248250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cezet/pseuds/Cezet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neville gets thrown into a romance storyline.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Mallory strutted into the headquarters of the WWE like she belonged there.  She was still in the process of convincing herself that was true, but she’d be damned if anyone else questioned it.  She had worked her ass off in the indies to try to get a spot in the big leagues and now it was happening.

She met with various people and signed paperwork.  It was all happening so quickly that she wasn’t exactly sure of everything.  Eventually, though, she ended up in a room with Stephanie McMahon and some others from creative.

“So, Mallory, we’re very happy to have you in the company and don’t want to delay having you perform.  Given your history and character in wrestling previously, we’re going to bring you directly in without much lead time.  We’ll be keeping your general character with some minor tweaks to keep our PG rating,” Stephanie said.

Mallory chuckled to herself.  PG was probably the toughest part of this transition.  A lot of shit she did in and out of the ring would have to be toned down.

They spent the rest of the meeting discussing various options.  Stephanie wanted her to come in to an immediate romance storyline.  Mallory groaned internally, but was able to interject enough of her own ideas to create something reasonable.  She made sure she’d actually be wrestling as being half of a storyline power couple was ok, while being a valet or girlfriend character was not.  She pitched a slow-build like the Matt/Lita storyline from the Attitude Era, but suggested a gender inversion.  She’d be the one obviously falling for her friend and teammate, whoever he might be.  Stephanie loved the idea.  Mallory liked it because she’d get to be a wrestler first.  First impressions mattered and she wanted the fans to think of her as a competitor, not as a love interest.

Once they’d all agreed on the storyline, creative pitched her the who.  They were setting up for a feud between Neville and Rusev for the US title.  Lana would get involved and then Mallory would be brought in as Neville’s insurance policy against Lana’s further involvement, setting up a feud between the two women.

Mallory had met Neville as Pac on a few occasions in the indies, though they’d never really been involved in anything together.  She was confident that she could work with anyone, though, so it was a moot point.  He was amazing in the ring and, deep down, she was excited to get to work with him.  Really excited.  And not just professionally.  She thought about the first night they’d met.  It was a few years back when Sami Zayn, El Generico, had introduced her to a bunch of guys backstage at an event.  Upon hearing the shortened version of her name which she used professionally, Kevin Steen had laughed. 

“Mal Heureux?  Seriously?” he’d said, pronouncing it with a French Canadian accent.

Mallory had grinned at him, tongue between her teeth.

“What’s so funny?” Neville had asked.

“It’s unfortunate,” Kevin replied.

“What’s unfortunate about it?” Neville asked, clearly and adorably confused.

This set everyone off into laughter.  He was a good sport about it once someone explained the joke.

Later that night, a group of wrestlers had hung out around a bonfire in that-one-dude’s back yard and Kevin, Sami and Neville had been in a talkative mood.  They’d told stories and drank and had a really great time.  She’d sat near them, asking questions and soaking up knowledge.  It had felt like some kind of master class in ring psychology intermixed with tales of pranks and dares.  Neville had spoken so passionately about the business and was so knowledgeable and she found him ridiculously attractive.  She’d propositioned him, of course.  He’d laughed it off like she was playing and she knew how to take a hint.  After all, she was hot, but not everyone’s cup of tea.  Tattoos, she figured.  Guys either seemed to be really into how tattooed she was or really put off by it.  Mallory had started with a bunch of roses on her back and then added thorny vines.  The vines now wrapped around her torso, both arms and both legs.  She’d continued overtly hitting on him each of the few times they’d been around each other, seeming to amuse him more each time.

“Does that all work for you?” Stephanie asked, pulling Mallory out of her reverie.

“Yes, I’d love to work with Neville,” she said, smiling.


	2. Chapter 2

Photography and filming of a back stage introduction would start immediately.  Mallory flew home to her apartment to count the days.  She watched WWE avidly, making notes about things she’d like to do in promos and thinking about how her life was going to change.  Sure, she traveled a lot for indy promotions, but this was a different thing altogether.  There were all kinds of details to iron out and phone calls, emails and texts flew over the next several weeks.

She watched as Neville called out Rusev.  They had a great couple of matches with Lana providing distraction enough in each for Rusev to come out the victor.  A week before her RAW debut, Mallory had her first photoshoot for WWE.  She was coming in as a bruiser, an enforcer, a scale-balancer and she was going to be hot doing it.  She taped her hands and put on her new gear, black and gold, an homage to wrestling gear Neville had worn earlier in his career as Pac.  She figured the smarks would eat that up.  She also had a black hoodie with Altitude Era on the back.  The pictures and promo video were scorching.

Soon, it was time to film for the introduction.  It was going to be shot outdoors in an urban park environment at night.  She arrived early as instructed and saw Neville walk up not long afterwards.

“Hey, Neville.  Good to see you,” she said.

“You, too, Mallory,” he replied, extending his hand for a handshake.  She obliged.

They sat down next to each other on a bench to talk through what was going to happen.

“So, what are your ideas here?  How do you want to play this?” she asked.

“I’m honestly not sure,” he said, “I have stayed away from these kinds of angles.  I mean, how can we make it seem realistic that the two of us would be together, that you would be…pursuing…me, when I’m so….me and you’re so…you?”

“What do you mean ‘I’m so me’?” she asked, eyes narrowing threateningly.

“No, no, no, not like that.  You’re just so,” he trailed off and gestured up and down her body.

“So. Fucking. What?” she snapped.

“Hot!  Geez, you’re gorgeous! And I’m not an attractive man, so…” he trailed off with a self-deprecating laugh.

Was he serious? Mallory thought to herself in surprise.  She stared at him.

“Neville, I’ve literally hit on you every single time we’ve been around each other.”

Neville gawped at her, “Yeah, but that’s just you playing.”

Speaking slowly and clearly enunciating each word, she said, “No.  That’s me wanting to fuck your brains out, sweetheart.”

Neville’s mouth opened and closed several times, though he said nothing.

“It’s cool, though, if you don’t see me that way.  I’m not trying to make you feel uncomfortable,” she assured him.

“Is this Swerved?  Where are the cameras?” he asked, looking around expectantly. 

“What?” she asked, confused.

“Now everyone comes out laughing about how it was all a big joke, right?”

“Whatever, man.  Forget it.  You figure out what the fuck you want to say in this promo and I’ll play off it.  I’m going to go get some water.”

Mallory stood up and stalked off, bristling with anger.

 

Neville sat on the bench, stunned.  That woman wanted him of all people?  She who with a crook of her finger could have anybody?  He wasn’t a vain man.  He was a proud man, proud of his accomplishments at his craft, but having looked in mirrors his whole life, he knew he had no cause to be vain.  Sure, some women had thrown themselves at him, but that was belt notching, star fucking, rats who wanted to be able to brag that they’d been with him, which wasn’t his thing.  His mind went to a particular experience, but he shut it down hard before he could think about it further. 

And now, he’d offended the woman he was supposed to be working with.  Great.  Just great.

Before he could really get his bearings, it was time to start filming.  Something about getting the right light.  He didn’t really listen.  Mallory was standing off to the side.  Neville felt himself amp up.  Time to cut a promo.  This he could do.  This he was good at.  This was safe territory.

“Rusev, at our rematch at Battleground Lana won’t be able to help you.  Because I have a plan.  Let me introduce you to my plan, to my answer to leveling the playing field, my friend, Mal Heureux.” 

He looked at Mal and she stalked into the shot.  Her body was nearly vibrating with the energy she was throwing off.  She looked sexy and vicious and powerful and dangerous all wrapped up together.

“Lana, I’ve seen what you’ve been doing to my pal Neville and it ain’t gonna fly, honey.  I’ll be there at Battleground to make sure of it.”

“And I will take that title,” Neville said, smiling.

They stood together staring at the camera, him smiling happily and her snarling nastily, until they were cleared.

Mallory went to walk away and Neville called out, “Mallory, wait.” 

She kept walking and he rushed to catch up to her.  He touched her arm and she jerked way.

“Please let me apologize,” he asked.

“No need.  See you at RAW,” she said, getting into her car and driving off.

He watched her go, realizing that he’d really messed that one up.


	3. Chapter 3

Neville texted Sami that evening.

_Hey, Sami, do you have Mallory Heureux’s number?_

_Yeah, why?_ came the response.

_We’re working an angle together.  Shot the promo today._

_Really?  You finally going to take her up on that offer?  ;)_

Neville groaned as Sami started using text smiley things.

_I don’t know what you’re talking about.  I said something that pissed her off and need to apologize.  She wouldn’t listen and drove off._

_The fuck, Nev?  She’s got a temper, but what’d you do?_

_We were discussing the angle and she said she was hitting on me and I asked her if this was for Swerved.  She got pissed._

The little “…” that told him Sami was typing a response stayed on the screen for a long time.

_You’re an idiot_

Why the hell had it taken Sami that long to type three words, Neville wondered.

_Are you going to give me her number or not?_

Sami texted him the number.

Neville texted _Hey, I’m really sorry about today_

_Who is this?_

_Neville.  Look, I know I pissed you off and I’m sorry_

_It’s whatever, like I said.  Not like I haven’t been rejected before, no worries as long as you still want to do the storyline._

Rejected? Neville was confused.

_Rejected?  I am confused_ he typed.

_The idea of me being attracted to you was so funny it needed to be on some stupid prank show?  Like I don’t have feelings?  It’s one thing to not be interested, but there was no need to be so mean._

_No that’s not how I meant it at all  Texting isn’t working Can I call you?_

_Ok._

Neville called and Mallory answered.

“Mallory, I totally didn’t mean it the way you think,” he said in a rush, “You could have anybody you wanted.  I mean, seriously any of the guys would be thrilled and they’re all good-looking. That’s what I meant, that the idea of you coming on to me of all people was unlikely because you’re so far out of my league.”

“You’re being ridiculous.  I think you’re adorable.”

Neville felt himself blushing, which really was ridiculous since he was alone.

“So, you’re not mad anymore, right?  We’re good?” he asked.

“Yeah, we’re good.  See you Monday,” she replied, something strange and unfamiliar to him in her tone, though it made his pulse speed up.

“Good,  Okay.  See you Monday,” he said, tripping over his words and hanging up.


	4. Chapter 4

That Monday on RAW, there was a “contract signing” between Neville and Rusev for their Battleground match.  “Contract signing” meant a lead-up fight, of course.  The stage was all set for Mallory to come to the ring with him, then, when he and Rusev fought, she’d take out Lana and they would stand triumphant in the ring daring the two to come back.

When Mallory got to the arena, she sought Neville out.  He was kind-of-but-not-really waiting for her.  That’s what he told himself.  She knew a lot of the people from other promotions and he introduced her to a few others.

She walked over to Lana at catering.

“Hey, I’m Mallory, just wanted to introduce myself and setup a time to talk this all through with you before our stuff tonight.”

Lana flicked her fingers at Mallory dismissively, “Not interested.  Go away.”

Mallory was incensed.  How dare this bitch speak to her that way?

“Naw, I don’t think you heard me right.  I introduced myself to you, all polite and shit.  That means you introduce yourself back to me all polite and shit, too.  Why don’t you try again?” Mallory told her menacingly.

The room went quiet as Mallory spoke.

Lana’s eyes went wide, “Hi, umm, I’m Lana,” she stuttered, eyes darting around the room.

“See, that’s much better, much more polite and shit.  Now, Lana, what do you say we meet up, you, me, your man and Neville, in about half an hour and talk through our stuff tonight like the polite-ass people we can be?”

“O- okay,” said Lana.

Mallory smiled unpleasantly and went back over to where Neville sat with Sami and Kevin as Lana fled the room.

“Look at you making friends already,” Kevin said sarcastically.

“Bitch gonna talk to me like that? Me?” Mallory said, “Had to put that in check right then.”

Paige, who Mallory knew from around, rushed over, “Holy fuck, Mallory, I’ve been dying for someone to put that cow in her place for ages!”

Mallory just smirked as the conversations restarted around her.

At the appointed time, Mallory and Neville found Rusev and Lana.

Rusev was obviously angry.  He got in Mallory’s face pointing his finger.

“You!  You little nothing!  You do not speak to Lana!”

Neville was just about to step in, but before he could, Mallory said, “Get your fucking finger out of my face now and back the fuck up off me.”

Rusev looked briefly surprised, but continued, “You do not tell me what to do.”

“I’m telling you right now that if you don’t back up off me, I’m going to take your knee out.”

“Whoa, hey, hey, everybody just calm down now,” said Neville, wrapping his arm around Mallory’s waist and drawing her back towards him.  He pressed her back into his chest and held her tightly, despite the fact that she wasn’t fighting him.  He knew how quick she was and wanted to make absolutely sure she couldn’t get away from him.

“Rusev, the plan is sign the contracts, talk some smack, attack each other, then you two run off.  That work for you?”

Rusev nodded, seeming baffled at Mallory’s reaction.

“Great, see you out there,” said Neville, backing away and keeping Mallory right with him. 


	5. Chapter 5

Once they were out of sight of the other two, he relaxed his arm.  Rather than jumping away from him or yelling, as he expected, Mallory arched back against him, bringing an arm up and drawing her hand down the side of his face.

“Wha- what are you doing?” Neville asked.                

“Hmm, if you’re going to be all dominant like that, grabbing me and pulling me against you, why shouldn’t I enjoy it?” Mallory asked, that strange tone that made his heart speed up again in her voice.

Neville wasn’t sure what to do, so he stayed very still.  Maybe he should apologize?

“I’m sorry for grabbing you like that.  I just didn’t want you to get in a fight and get fired on your first night.”

Mallory slowly turned around.  It seemed to Neville like she was purposely rubbing herself against him as she did.

In fact, Mallory was purposely rubbing herself against him.  The way he’d just grabbed her and held her had her so turned on. 

She slid her arms up his chest and twined her fingers together behind his neck.

“No need to apologize.  I liked it.”

Neville quickly stepped back from her and said, “OkIguessI’llseeyououttherelaterbye.” And then he bolted down the hallway.

Mallory was not amused.  She was all hot and bothered and he was literally running away?  What the hell?

Neville didn’t stop until he got to the locker room.  He went in and sat down in a folding chair.  Sami looked at him and said, “Are you ok?”

He nodded.  Then he shook his head.  Then he nodded again.  This wasn’t the happy-go-lucky Neville that Sami was used to.

“What happened?” Sami asked.

“Mallory.  She uh…” he trailed off.

Sami waited, but Neville said nothing more, just staring off into space. 

Sami left the locker room and went to find Mallory.

“What did you do to Neville?” he asked once he found her stretching in an unused hallway.

“What did I do to Neville?  Nothing!  He grabbed me and pulled me away from Rusev when he was in my face.  When I told him I liked it, he took off.”

“Mallory, you’re going to have to go slower with him.  Nev’s…complicated.  He’s so happy and amazing most of the time, but he’s not used to that.”

“Fuck, Sami, you have got to be kidding me.”

“I’m not.  I’ve known him for years now.  I know him.  If you come on too strong, he’s going to freak.  You’re not the most patient person.  Maybe it would be best if you focused your energies elsewhere?”

Mallory felt conflicted.  That made her angry.

“You don’t get to tell me what to do, Sami.”

Sami brought his hands up, open palms facing her.

“I’m not trying to tell you what to do.  Honestly, I think you’d be great for him.  I’ve thought so several times when we’ve all been together.  I’m just telling you that he was hurt once and I won’t see that happen to him again.  So, if you can’t slow down to a speed he’s comfortable with, you need to stop this now,” said Sami, protectively.

“Fine.  I’ll think about what you said.  Thanks, Sami,” Mallory said.

He nodded and went to prepare for his own match.


	6. Chapter 6

Mallory gave the matter some serious thought.  She was an adult and a professional.  She could keep her pants on.  Hell, it would probably be beneficial to be “good” for a bit, at least now at the beginning of her time with WWE.

She met up with Neville at gorilla and he looked at her nervously.

“Ready for this?” she asked him, smiling.

“Yeah, yeah, I am.  You?”

She nodded, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

His pyro and music were keyed and he walked out.  Watching him go through his intro, Mallory waited for her cue.  He turned and pointed from the top of the ramp and she walked out.  Hoodie on, hood up, she shadowboxed her way out onto the stage next to him, pulling off the hood as she stood next to him.  They walked half way to the ring together when he suddenly took off, running to jump into the ring, sliding nearly half way across it and jumping up on the turnbuckle.  Mallory sauntered behind him, taking her time, soaking in the huge and thunderous crowd.

When Neville saw Mallory walking up the steps, he jumped down from the turnbuckle and politely held the ropes for her.  She seemed startled that he’d done so, but quickly schooled her face back to the usual serious, focused and almost sinister look she favored.  The contrast between them was quite interesting, he thought.

Neville walked over to shake hands with Shane McMahon, who was set to preside over the contract signing as Lana walked out to introduce Rusev.  The two came to the ring and Lana began to run her mouth, talking Rusev up and denigrating Neville.  Mallory stood immediately behind Neville and listened to his rejoinder.  How could he still be so polite to her when she was saying all that? Mallory wondered idly. 

Neville signed the contract first, then spun it around to Rusev.  Rusev signed it and Lana laughed, stepping forward and slapping Neville hard across the face.  That was all Mallory needed to see.  She launched herself over the table, shouldering Lana to the ground and right out of her ridiculous high heels.  She felt Rusev roughly pick her up and throw her away from Lana and she righted herself to look up just in time to see Neville drop kick him and watch Rusev and Lana roll out of the ring.  Neville came over to her with a look of concern and held out a hand.  Mallory let him help her up, but made sure to keep a lot of distance between them.  Slow build for this story line.  Right.  She grabbed his wrist and put his hand up as his music played.

After a brief celebration, they headed back stage.  Neville hugged her and Mallory realized how keyed up she still was.  He was still in his ring gear, so his bare chest was touching her.  There was a moment in which the hug changed and both felt it.  They each dropped their arms, staring at each other. 

“Um, so I’m going to go shower,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck reflexively.

“Yeah, later,” she said, distracted by the way his abdominal muscles were moving as he stretched his arm upwards.

“Adult and professional,” she mumbled to herself as she set out for the women’s locker room.

 

Later in the evening, both were called to meet with Stephanie McMahon

“Neville, Mallory, thank you for stopping by,” said Stephanie as the two came into her hastily setup office at the arena.

“Happy to, Stephanie!  What can we do for you?” Neville asked.

“I want to discuss the story line with you.  It is going well and we’re getting the fan reaction that we want,” Stephanie said, “We’re thinking about keeping it slow.  Rusev keeps the title by DQ at Battleground, mixed tag at SummerSlam, then Neville will win the championship at Night of Champions.  Rusev will get his rematch and then we’ll pull the twist.  I wanted you to know the tentative timeline so you could plan accordingly.”

“That works,” Mallory said, “I am going to get at least one one-on-one match with Lana before that, right?”

“Yes, we’ll have that on either Smackdown or Raw to set up the mixed tag,” Stephanie confirmed.

Shortly, they were dismissed and left the office and walked together down the hall back to the main area.

“We should get together with a calendar and plan this.  I want to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible,” Mallory said.

“Yes, we should.  We could, ah, maybe, get dinner or something and talk about it?” Neville asked, feeling a blush start to creep up from his collar.

“I’d like that,” Mallory said, smiling at him, “I’ll text you and we’ll schedule something very soon.”

“Great, okay, well, Sami and Kevin are probably waiting on me so I should go catch up with them.  Long drive tonight,” Neville said in a rush.

“Can I talk to you for just a minute before you run off?” Mallory asked, stopping and placing her hand on his forearm to stop him from turning away.

“Yeah, sure, okay, what is it?” Neville asked.  Privately to himself, he had to admit that much of his attention was now focused on where her hand gripped his forearm. 

“We’re good, right?  I know I can come on strong and I’m going to try to dial that back to somewhere you can be comfortable with,” she said, releasing his arm.

“You don’t have to change one bit.  You’re great.  We’re great.  Everything is fine,” Neville said to try to reassure her.

Mallory rolled her eyes in disbelief.  “Right, okay then.  So maybe let Sami know that?”

“Sami?  What?” Neville questioned.

“Nothing really.  I gotta go find Paige and get this drive started.  I’ll text you to set up a time to plan all this out and then we can run it by creative,” Mallory said as she walked away.

Neville set out to find Sami Zayn.


	7. Chapter 7

Neville found Sami and Kevin waiting for him in the parking lot.

“What did you say to Mallory?” Neville demanded as the three of them got into the car.

“Eh?” Sami murmured as he fiddled with his phone and the car’s stereo.

“She just said she was going to try not to make me uncomfortable and that you were involved.  What did you tell her?”

“Yeah, Sami, what did you tell her?” Kevin asked from the driver’s seat, amusement evident in his tone.

“Nothing, much, geez, it was the day you came in the locker room and weren’t talking.  I went to ask her what had happened and just kind of suggested she back off a little bit, give you some breathing room,” Sami replied.

Kevin laughed.

“Sami, it isn’t your business!  I can’t believe you did that.  Now she probably thinks I’m some kind of weirdo.”

“Well, to be honest, you are some kind of weirdo, Neville,” Kevin interjected.

“I’m being serious, Kevin,” Neville said plaintively.

“Sorry, Nev, I just was concerned.  I didn’t mention, you know…” Sami trailed off.

Kevin suddenly seemed to focus very hard on driving.

Neville went very still.  He breathed in and then out carefully.

Sami knew he shouldn’t have mentioned, even obliquely, that situation, but he bulldozed on, trying to make it better.  “You just haven’t dated since and you were so hurt.  I just didn’t want her to scare you off.  She could be good for you.”

“I don’t want to discuss it, Sami,” said Neville quietly.

As they checked into the next hotel in the next town, Neville got a text from Mallory.

_Dinner tomorrow after the show?_

_Sure_ he wrote back. 

The show that evening was a house show and Mallory got to have a singles match against Paige, which was great fun for them both.  After changing into her regular clothes, she went to watch Neville and Kevin’s match.  The two of them in the ring together was magic, almost as good as Kevin and Sami.  They knew each other so well it was like they were sharing a mind which led to a beautifully choreographed match.

Neville was quite happy with how the match had gone.  He showered, dressed and went to find Mallory. 

“What would you like to eat?” he asked.

Mallory shrugged.  “I’m easy,” she replied.

They walked out to the parking lot.  He had a car for the evening and gestured to it as they approached.

“It’s that one,” he said, stepping ahead of her and walking towards the passenger side.  Mallory was surprised.  Did he expect her to drive? she wondered.  Neville opened the car door and looked at her expectantly.  It took her a moment to realize he was holding the door for her.  Things like that were pretty foreign to her.  She sat down and felt herself blushing a little, which made her feel stupid.  It was just a car door.  Still, it was a thoughtful gesture, like when he had held the ropes for her.  She just wasn’t really used to being treated like a girl. 

They ended up at a 24 hour diner.  From where they began discussing the angle, they found themselves moving randomly through so many topics that actually tracing the evolution of the conversation would have been impossible.  It just felt right and, before they knew it, two hours had passed and they really needed to get back to the hotel.

 

 

 

At Battleground, Neville and Mallory did their usual walk to the ring together.  As discussed, the match would end in a disqualification, leaving the title on Rusev.  From her spot at ringside, Mallory watched the grace of Neville’s movements in the ring.  She was competent, she knew, but watching him made her feel like she would never measure up.  She shook it off and waited for Lana to make the move.  After their first interaction, Lana had given her a wide berth, which was fine. 

The match was going great when Lana reached in and tripped Neville as he bounded off the ropes.  This was it.  Mallory rounded the corner of the ring at a dead run, then went low for the spear on Lana.  They crashed together and went through the ring steps.  Rusev was there instantly, picking Lana up as though she was the most precious thing in the world and carrying her to the back.  Mallory stood up and mouthed off at him for leaving.  The referee counted him out and Neville won the match via countout, though that kept the title on Rusev as planned. 

Neville watched as Mallory rolled into the ring, stalking over to him and raising his hand angrily.  He wished he had her level of charisma.  The way she could use her body language to communicate on an emotional level with an entire arena was amazing.  It made him feel a little insecure in his own skills, to be honest.  They walked to the back together and were immediately thrust in front of a camera for a WWE.com exclusive. 

“Tonight proves I was right to bring in back up,” Neville said, bumping Mallory’s shoulder with his own, “When Lana again tried to get involved, Mal Heureux was there to have my back.  It’s a shame Rusev walked out on the match, but I think it was in large part because he realized he couldn’t beat me.”

Mallory looked at Neville intensely.  “I want her,” she said.

The intensity left him breathless for a beat too long as he stared at her.

“I want her, Neville.  Give me five minutes to find her.  I’ll make sure she’s so hurt she won’t even make it to the rematch,” Mallory spit the words out in a biting, staccato rhythm.

Stephanie chose that moment to step in.  “You want her?  You got it, Mal, but in a match, not back here tonight.”

Mallory looked at Stephanie.  It was their first time on camera together and she wanted to make it good.  She moved closer to the other woman, into her personal space, but not touching.  She didn’t loom, but rather held a posture that was respectful as though she was talking to an equal.  
  
“I want a match this week.  Raw or Smackdown.  I don’t care,” Mallory said in a quiet, dangerous voice.

“Done,” Stephanie responded simply.

Mallory nodded and stalked off camera.  Neville looked after her wide-eyed.  Stephanie looked after Mallory, then back at Neville.

“You convinced me to let her be here.  Don’t make me regret that decision, Neville.”

Neville nodded and hurried off screen after Mallory.

Once the filming was done, they debriefed.  Stephanie was happy with how the promo went and Mallory was just thrilled that she’d remembered not to say “fuck” or “bitch” a single time.


	8. Chapter 8

It was decided that they’d capitalize on the success of the match at Battleground and have the match with Lana and Mallory the next night on Raw.

Mallory looked for Lana to plan the match to no avail.  She was pretty sure the other woman was dodging her.  Mallory sighed and continued looking, vowing to make nice.  She eventually found Lana in the make up area.

“Hey, Lana, any special requests tonight?” she asked.

Lana looked at her warily, “I do not have any.”

“Okay, well, if you change your mind and wanna plan once you’re done here, I’ll be in catering,” Mallory replied.

“Why don’t you sit down and let us do you up?” asked one of the make up artists, gesturing at the chair opposite Lana. 

Mallory stared at her, then looked at all the pots of paints and apparent torture implements on the table. 

“Yeah, nah, m’good,” she mumbled, backing away with her hands up.

 

Neville felt goosebumps as Mallory’s new music hit.  It was the first time at a televised event, the first time with him walking out with her to it, though he’d heard the slow, menacing beat at house shows.  Neville came out to be in her corner as Rusev would be in Lana’s.  He hung back, letting her take the lead in her patented saunter to the ring.  The sense of barely-contained violence she projected in character, and sometimes out of it, made the hair on the back of his neck raise.  He slid into the ring and held the ropes as she climbed the stairs.  She flashed him a quick smile.

Mallory walked over to the ropes and leaned forward on them, crossing the toe of one boot behind the other foot in a negligent pose.  Neville noticed it drew maximum attention to her breasts and looked away quickly, trying to fight off the blush he felt.

The match went well overall, he noted.  There were a few stutters when Lana didn’t completely commit to a move, but Mallory carried it.  At the appropriate time, Rusev leveled Neville with a spinning heel kick and then a fallaway slam and jumped up on the ring.  Mallory hit him with a drop kick, knocking him off, but it gave Lana the distraction to be able to roll her up for the victory.  She threw Lana off right after the pin and Lana slid from the ring, pointing and laughing with Rusev, who’d recovered enough to meet her at the ramp.  Mallory howled her frustration and then started looking around for Neville.  He was starting to right himself.  She went to help him up, aggressively driving the referee away.  He got his arm around her shoulders and she supported him to the back.

Again, the WWE.com exclusive people were waiting to pounce. Mallory got Neville leaned against a wall, admiring his ability to sell. Then, pouring on the rage, she turned to the cameras and demanded a rematch since Lana’s victory was dirty. Once she was done, she wrapped her arms around Neville again and half-carried him off screen, murmuring “I gotcha, darlin’” just loud enough for the mics to pick up as they walked away.  

Paige was on the same schedule in a feud with Charlotte, so she and Mallory had been traveling together.  Paige talked non-stop, though, and within a week of driving, working and rooming together, Mallory thought she would soon snap and beat Paige unconscious just for a little peace and quiet.  Still, Paige had helped with her social media presence and was generally inoffensive, so she tolerated it.  Whenever possible, she’d duck out and go for a run to get time to herself.

At the hotel, Mallory checked her social media.  Fans were catching on, shipping her and Neville.  Someone had made a GIF of her face when he held the ropes for her.  Many people had simply written “Awww” in response on Twitter.  There was another GIF of him bumping his shoulder against hers in the post-match interview.  This was going to work, she thought.

“I’m getting a couple of days off, flying out of here the day after tomorrow.  You want to drive yourself or find out who else is heading your way?” Paige asked Mallory as settled in.

“Good for you.  I’ll figure it out, no worries,” Mallory replied, struggling to keep the relief out of her voice.

Mallory pulled out her phone and texted Neville. 

_Hey, can I ride with you and Sami and Kev tomorrow night?  Paige is off._

_They’re off, too, but I’d be happy for us to ride together.  I hate driving alone._

_Cool_

That settled, Mallory fell asleep.  Neville, alone in his hotel room, lay back wondering if them riding together was really a good idea for a long while before sleep found him.


	9. Chapter 9

After the show, Neville met Mallory near the exit doors.  He reached out to take her suitcase, but she held on to it.

“I got it,” she said.

“Really, it’s no trouble,” he said, tugging on it as she let go.  He’d been raised to be a gentleman, after all.  When he was around Mallory, he wanted to do things for her, he realized.  He wanted to open doors and carry things and even to bring her flowers.  In a sudden flash of clarity, Neville knew he had a crush on her.

Mallory was confused as Neville’s pace slowed next to her as they walked to the car.

“Hey, Neville?  Earth to Neville,” she said, waving a hand in front of his face.

“What?  Oh, sorry, luv, a million miles away there,” he said, pushing away those distracting thoughts.

Mallory’s heart sped as he called her love.  She knew it wasn’t a big deal.  British.  Cultural differences.  Still, him saying that word felt good.  Strange.

When they got to the car, he held the door for her before stowing the bags in the boot and getting in.  As it had at the restaurant, the conversation flowed easily.  He told her stories of wrestling in Europe and his time in Japan.  She teased him and realized how effortlessly she could make him blush.  For a grown man who had traveled the world, especially in their industry, he seemed so enthusiastically innocent.

The drive was only a few hours and they arrived at the hotel in good time.  As they pulled in, they noticed a woman standing near the door. 

“That looks like one of mine,” Mallory told him.

“One of your what?” Neville asked.

“Fans.  One of my fans,” she replied. 

They got out of the car, Neville getting the bags out of the trunk as Mallory walked ahead towards the doors where the woman stood.  She was of average height and weight, pretty enough and seemed nervous.  She was holding a large black Sharpie.

Mal flashed her ring smile at the woman, getting into character.  This was always such fun.

Neville had caught up, though he stood a little apart from the vignette, not fully understanding what was happening.

“Mal, will you…” the woman trailed off, holding out the Sharpie.

Mallory reached out and wrapped her hand around the woman’s hand that was holding the Sharpie.

“What’s your name, little darlin’?” she drawled.

“I…I’m Susan,” the woman replied.

“Susan,” Mallory repeated, “Pleasure to meet you, Susan.”  She said the name like a lover would, wrapping her lips around the words.  Susan shivered.  Mal took the Sharpie out of Susan’s hand, uncapped it and put the cap on the end.  With her left hand, she reached out and took hold of Susan’s chin and then slid her thumb up around her jaw.  She tipped Susan’s head back at an angle and Susan offered no resistance.  She was completely pliable.  Mallory touched the cap on the end of the Sharpie to her thumb and then dragged it down the side of Susan’s neck to the hollow of her collarbone.

“Here?” she asked in a suddenly playful tone, “Or further down?”

“Further, please,” Susan gasped.

Mallory let out a dark chuckle, turned the Sharpie around and signed her name directly on Susan’s skin, just below her collarbone.  She admired her handiwork for a moment before she tilted Susan’s head back and released her.  Susan’s eyes were still closed and her breathing was shallow as Mallory replaced the Sharpie’s cap.

“Here’s your Sharpie, darlin’.  You have a good night,” Mallory said, pressing the marker in Susan’s hand and leaving her standing there in a daze.

Neville was surprised and aroused by what he’d just seen.  He knew he needed to follow Mallory into the hotel, but he had to go around the fan to do so.  She looked up at him with heavy eyes as he walked by and smiled a dreamy smile.

“I didn’t know if she’d still do it, what with her being in WWE now,” she mumbled.

Neville cleared his throat nervously and nodded as he walked past.

Mallory was waiting in the lobby.  She was checking them in and getting their key cards.  Neville hung back, getting his heart rate under control. When she finished, she smiled as she handed him his key and they walked towards the elevators.

“Enjoy the show?” she asked, amusement dancing in her eyes.

“What was THAT?” he asked in return.

“Hold over from the indies.  My fan club, you know.  It started at a bar in Daytona and just took on a life of its own.  Fun, though,” she smiled wickedly.

Neville suddenly felt like his trousers were a size smaller than they had been.

“She, ah, I think she wanted to sleep with you,” he stammered, blushing.

“Yes, sweetie, that’s the point,” Mallory replied, leaning around him to push the button for the second floor.

“Oh,” he said.  Neville wasn’t sure what to say to that.  He kept hearing that little laugh she’d given as she was signing and it was doing things to his ability to cognitively process. 

They stepped off the elevator and saw that their rooms were in different directions.  Mallory put her hand on top of Neville’s where it grasped the handle of her rolling suitcase.  His hand felt so warm against her skin. 

“You didn’t answer.  Did you enjoy the show?” she asked again, eyes focused on his lips.

“Aye,” Neville admitted in a whisper.

Mallory shuddered.  She didn’t know why she was so affected by this man that a single murmured word would make her want to fuck him right here in the hallway.  She gathered herself, though, remembering what Sami said and his reactions to the tame, for her, stories she’d told him in the car.  Don’t scare him off, she thought.

Mallory pressed her thumb to Neville's jaw in the way that she did during her "special signings."  Neville melted.

"Night, Nev," she said quietly, leaving him standing in the hall.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading.


End file.
